Tennessee prosecutor says officers justified in shooting

Published 8:42 am Thursday, November 7, 2019

MEMPHIS (AP) — The top prosecutor in Tennessee’s largest county says two sheriff’s officers acted with legal justification when they fatally shot a drug suspect in a hotel’s parking lot.

Shelby County district attorney Amy Weirich said in a news release that the Shelby County narcotics officers will not face charges after an investigation into the February shooting of Jason Hill.

Authorities say Hill fired a handgun at officers as they tried to arrest him on a drug warrant at a GardenTree Hotel in the Memphis area. Authorities said two officers returned fire, killing Hill.

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Officers were not wearing body cameras. Hotel surveillance video captured parts of the shooting.

In a letter to Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Weirich says a jury “would be hard pressed to find officers guilty of a crime.”